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Not a single surprising result was recorded in midweek, when 16 teams fought for a place in the quarter finals of the Romanian Cup, a trophy ignorred in recent years especially by the Bucharest sides, although they weren’t very succesful in the league either… Still, there was some serious struggle for big clubs like Steaua, Poli Timisoara and CFR Cluj, with the single praise-worthy performance coming from Universitatea Craiova, who won on a very difficult ground, showing determination and fielding players that were enjoying their chance to play attacking football.

The sixth round of the Romanian Cup was kicked off on Tuesday, with a commanding display from Rapid Bucharest, who should get credit for this results, considering the level of their opponents, Petrolul Ploiesti, currently leading in the second division, with four wins out of four, and a team packed with experienced players and some quality youngtsers. But Rapid looks well organized at the back and can fuel the front men from the wings with so many quality balls that the strikers’ names and form aren’t that important.

The shock result of the round came on Wednesday, when FC Vaslui lost the momentum gained in the last two league matches (4-0 against Otelul, 2-1, away, at Dinamo), losing in front of ALRO Slatina, a mediocre second division outfit. Lopez Caro, who was very close to find some peace after the latest results, is back in deep trouble, having fielded a strong enough team, which included the likes of Kuciak, Milanov, Adailton and Wesley. Read more…

On Wednesday, Dinamo met CFR Cluj at home, on a pitch that favored the guests. For the first time since his arrival, Mandorlini sent on the pitch only one natural striker, Yssouf Kone, in a 4-1-4-1 formula that looked solid, but could have done more damage, with the right players. Nicolae Dica was a disgrace (central right midfielder), slow and always late both in attack and defense, while the Italian Bottone (right midfielder) was a joke. Piccolo did a better job in defense, but if this is what Italian players can offer to Romanian football, we’re definitely better off without them! Solid performance from Sixto Peralta – I cannot imagine how on earth he can be left on the bench, when fit! – who dictated the play in the centre of the park, well protected by Gabriel Muresan, deployed as anchorman, and another good display from the Brazilian left back Leonardo Veloso, who was on trial with Dinamo, but went on to sign for CFR. The game ended 1-1, Kone equalizing after Lucian Goian’s header, but it was a tight affair until the end, with both teams pushing for a win. The Red Dogs, though, were handicapped by the presence on the pitch of two strikers completely out of shape, Claudiu Niculescu and Florin Bratu, and suffered two more blows, defenders Ze Diabate and Lucian Goian badly injured during the first half.

Strange approach from Marius Lacatus, who decided to rest several first team players in the first leg of the semifinal against FC Brasov! FC Brasov – FC Vaslui ended 1-0, but I wonder why “The Beast” was thinking of the Monday match vs. Timisoara, when he was just two steps away from the final, three steps away from a trophy and guaranteed place in Europe next season! Anyway, the hosts deserved their win, finally looking like the team from last year, organized and hard working. Solid performance from Savic, who slowly won his place in the first eleven, offering an excellent assist from the left, converted by the 36 years old captain, Robert Ilyes. For Vaslui, the Brazilian Gladstone confirmed that he’s got some class, but Porumboiu’s collection of talented individuals is still far from working as an unit, with the brothers Dinu and (especially) Lucian Sanmartean looking poor, the Spaniard Delgado inconsistent, relying on the creativity and constant threat represented by Wesley…

Radu Baicu

• 15 years of continuous work in scouting, for top clubs and companies;
• Worked for clubs like Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Hannover 96, covering the Romanian market;
• Worked for Birmingham based company ‘The Scouting Network’ (www.tsn.co.uk) as a football scout;
• Worked for Zurich based company Boutique Football as a scouting network coordinator;
• International scout for Young Boys Bern for 2 years, covering Eastern European football.
• Working for the past 5 years as an international scout for a top French club.